APD Unit Brings in Civilian Investigators to Take on Cases

By: ABQRAW staff

Posted: 01/25/2024 @3:00PM

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Albuquerque – The Albuquerque Police Department tells us that they have made significant changes as to how they handle orphaned and departed cases in the Homicide Unit.

Within the Homicide Unit, cases are categorized based on their status, most commonly known as active or closed. The unit also has cases that are classified as orphaned or departed. Orphaned cases are those that belonged to a detective who has since left the unit but did not finish or close out the case prior to their departure. Departed cases are those that belong to a detective who has since left the Homicide Unit but was still working the case.

Previously, when detectives left the unit, the case left with them too, meaning they would still work cases when they could while on other assignments. In order to keep these cases active and moving forward, in 2022, Chief Medina came up with a plan to bring in civilian investigators to solely work the orphaned and departed cases.

Currently, APD has six civilian investigators who all retired at one point from law enforcement. These investigators all have backgrounds in investigations, and they look over the cases working closely with Homicide detectives in bringing them to prosecution. These investigators are in addition to the 16 sworn Homicide Detectives. There remain two open positions that are actively being filled.

Since 2022, the civilian investigators have reviewed 67 cases, of those 57 have completed reviews, and 11 have led to arrests.

The unit has now moved all orphaned and departed cases to a Homicide Digital Library, which consists of the following:

–       Case numbers

–       Victim(s)

–       Status

–       Primary agent on the case

–       Date and location of the incident

–       Pertinent case information and evidence needed for investigations

The civilian investigators work through the library to take on new cases as they’ve helped solve others. One civilian investigator was on the ATF Task Force prior to retiring from APD, and out of the 26 cases he’s worked, seven have led to arrests. This investigator was instrumental in solving an orphaned case and with his training he identified a NIBIN match. After reviewing the evidence, he had the Crime Lab run the casings again and they were able to successfully identify the match. 

“There are a lot of great retired officers and investigators that have chosen to come back to the department in a civilian capacity and I’m grateful for their commitment to our community,” said Chief Harold Medina. “I knew there was a better way we could handle the orphaned and departed cases, with the main goal in mind to bring justice to victims and their families”.

The Homicide Unit has also begun a new review process of active investigations that take place two days after a crime has occurred, then moves to a 60-day review, and lastly a 6-month review, allowing a more streamline process when looking over cases. 

Policy was also changed so that if a detective leaves the Homicide Unit, their case does not stay with them and it will be transferred to a civilian Homicide Investigator.

You can watch the entire press conference HERE: